All the action from the qualifying session before the main race.
Max Verstappen extended his streak of pole positions with a commanding performance during the qualifying session for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. Securing his sixth consecutive pole position and fifth out of five this season, Verstappen left no room for doubt. Verstappen outpaced his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez by a margin of 0.3 seconds. Overall, the Red Bull duo did well to lock out the front row.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso continued to show his form by clinching third position. He was ahead of the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, it was a day of disappointment for Ferrari, as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz found themselves settling for sixth and seventh on the grid. The two failed to challenge the frontrunners as they had hoped.
In a surprising turn of events, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton faced a shocking setback. The Mercedes driver failed to progress beyond the first qualifying session, Q1, and ultimately qualified in a disappointing 18th position. The unexpected twist in Hamilton’s fortunes on the weekend adds an intriguing dimension to his upcoming race.
Chinese GP Q1
In the start to the qualifying round at the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen topped the time sheets with a lap time of 1 minute and 34.742 seconds. The Red Bull driver edged out Leclerc’s Ferrari by a mere 0.055 seconds, with Norris trailed closely behind in his McLaren, a tenth adrift of Verstappen’s time. However, disappointment struck for several drivers as they fell short in their quest out of the elimination zone. Local favorite Zhou Guanyu of Sauber, Kevin Magnussen of Haas, and sprint race runner-up Lewis Hamilton, who faced a lock-up at the hairpin in his Mercedes, were among those who faced early elimination. Yuki Tsunoda of RB and Logan Sargeant of Williams, who spun off, had their qualification sessions ended early.
Chinese GP Q2
Verstappen was the fastest driver in the second qualifying round, clocking a time of 1m33.794s. The Red Bull man outpaced his teammate Perez by a margin of 0.232s.
However, the session was not without its dramatic moments. Sainz encountered a mishap when he spun his Ferrari into the wall at the exit of the final turn, prompting a red flag. The Spainard showcased his resilience despite the setback. He returned to the pits, minus his front wing and got fixed up in time to deliver a solid performance. Sainz secured third position for the session. While the damage may not have been as severe as it originally seemed, respect to the pit crew for repairing the car in time and to Sainz for putting in a competitive lap time with a less than 100% car.
Knocked out at this round were Lance Stroll of Aston Martin, Daniel Ricciardo of RB, Alex Albon of Williams and Alpine teammates Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
Chinese GP Q3
In the final qualifying round three of the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix, Verstappen solidified his place at the front of the grid with an impressive pole position lap of 1m33.660s. His performance put him 0.322s ahead of his Red Bull teammate Perez, ensuring a Red Bull front row lockout. Following the Red Bull duo in third is Alonso. The rest of the grid is as follows, Norris, Piastri of McLaren, and the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Sainz. Meanwhile, George Russell secured the eighth spot on the grid for Mercedes, followed closely by Nico Hulkenberg of Haas and Valtteri Bottas of Sauber.
The full final results of qualifying can be found here.
With qualifying finished, the starting grid for the main race has been determined.
